WASHINGTON — Former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy, who was sexually abused by disgraced junior hockey coach Graham James, on Tuesday urged U.S. lawmakers to adopt Canadian practices to prevent future scandals like the one at Penn State University.

Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee, Kennedy likened the abuse he endured to the pain and suffering alleged to have been inflicted on children by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky.

“The man who preyed on me took advantage of his position as a coach to look for children who were especially vulnerable,” Kennedy said in prepared testimony before the subcommittee on children and families. “These kids — and often their parents, too — looked up to him as a hero. This was someone who could make their dreams come true, and he used that trust to hurt them.”

He added James had almost “god-like status” in the Canadian hockey community. “Sound familiar?” asked Kennedy, who publicly reported his abuse in 1997.

Kennedy was testifying as federal lawmakers struggle with how to respond to the uproar that followed last month’s arrest of Sandusky, a longtime defensive coach with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Sandusky faces 52 charges alleging the sexual abuse of 10 boys over a 15-year period ending in 2009.

Kennedy, co-founder of Respect Group, which advocates on behalf of abuse victims, said U.S. athletic groups need stronger educational programs for sport leaders and parents. The U.S. government, too, should follow the Canadian example in combating child maltreatment, he said. He cited the need for tougher legislation, minimum sentences for perpetrators and a federal approach to prevention education.

“We have learned that social change takes time and has to occur at both the grassroots level and from the government on down,” Kennedy said. “I am pleased to say that is exactly what is happening in Canada and I hope it’s what will happen here, too.”

Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who chaired Tuesday’s hearing, said her goal is to strengthen U.S. federal laws to help intervene and deter child abuse.

“It is my belief that every adult should be required to report known or suspected child abuse regardless of whether the abuser is a parent, caregiver, coach or teacher,” Mikulski said. “If you see something, you should say something.”

Kennedy’s appearance in Washington comes just a week after James, who spent more than three years in prison for sex abuse in his case, pleaded guilty to repeatedly sexually abusing two more former players, including former Calgary Flames star Theoren Fleury.

James will be sentenced on the new convictions in February, and Kennedy said he plans to attend the hearing.

Sexual-abuse victims too often are reluctant for years to tell their story out of fear nothing will be done, said Kennedy, a former Calgary Flame, Detroit Red Wing and Boston Bruin.

“I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” Kennedy said, explaining why he waited a decade after being abused to come forward. “From my experience, a child who is being abused has to tell — on average — seven people before their story is taken seriously. Seven. That is completely unacceptable.”

Since the Sandusky scandal broke, questions have abounded about how it was possible for the alleged abuse to continue for so long without other authority figures — including legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno — to be unaware or fail to report what was happening.

“In every case of child abuse — certainly my own — there are people who had a ‘gut feeling’ that something was wrong but didn’t do anything about it.,” Kennedy said. “Their attitude was, ‘I don’t want to get involved,’ ‘It’s not my problem,’ ‘He couldn’t possibly be doing that’ or ‘the authorities will take care of it.’ ”

Through his work with Respect Group, Kennedy said he’s learned that education about how to recognize sexual abuse is the best prevention and that training should be “mandatory” and ongoing for people involved with youth and sport.

“Too often, society’s response to child abuse is to focus on punishing the criminal,” he said. “If the teacher, priest or coach is sent to jail for a long time, then we feel that we’ve done our jobs as citizens or as politicians. Punishing the bad guys makes us feel good, but it does not fully solve the problem.”